The Wildcats have not won since Sept. 20.

With five losses and a tie in six Big Ten matches, Northwestern (7-6-1, 0-5-1 Big Ten) is off to its worst conference start since 1999.

After sitting just outside the national rankings through its first 10 games, NU has fallen off the radar.

Despite all these facts, an odd mood permeated practice this week – confidence.

“We’ve definitely gotten at it,” goalkeeper Whitney Jones said. “We know what has to be done.”

The Cats said they feel as if they are playing good soccer. They’re just not getting the job done.

The way they are losing would seem to support this. NU has yet to lose by more than one goal this season, and three times the opponents’ winning goal has come late in the second half.

Jones said the team has been working on finishing off tied games instead of just playing for extra time.

“We know we shouldn’t be looking to go into overtime in the first place,” she said.

Another of the Cats’ focuses in practice this week was team defense, not just the work of the back four.

This weekend, the team could get a boost from the return of midfielder Julie Lipinski, who missed the last four games with an ankle injury.

Lipinski said she is “ecstatic” to get back and hopes she can contribute right away on the defensive end.

The Cats are home for the last five games of the regular season and begin their final stretch Friday against Indiana (5-7-1, 1-4-0) and Sunday against No. 23 Purdue (8-5-0, 4-1-0).

“We’ve been frustrated with our lack of results,” Haigh said. “We’ll be ready for this weekend.”

Indiana, who sits ninth in the conference, is just one point behind eighth-place Wisconsin with only three weeks left until the Big Ten tournament. NU is in last and is three points out.

“Indiana is a little bit in a position like us,” coach Jenny Haigh said. “It could be a bit of an intense, fast-paced game.”

The Wildcats are 13-3-2 at home in the last two years and are 3-1-0 against the Boilermakers and Hoosiers.

Even with history and high morale supporting them, the Cats need to post a strong finish to pass Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin to secure a place in the conference tournament.

Haigh said the team realizes being close to getting a win or a tie is not good enough.

“I hope there’s a sense of urgency and I think there is,” she said.

Reach David Morrison at [email protected].